Public Service Announcement: You don't have to earn your holiday cookies
Only two shopping days left before Christmas. I'm spending the day baby-sitting my three-year-old nephew. He was startled to find out that I too, wear jammies. With Captain America on them. Then we had a significant debate over the better superhero, between Spiderman and Captain America. Spiderman won, because there was no convincing my nephew that throwing a shield was cooler than swinging down the streets of New York with nets that spring from your wrists. Then we danced to Dean Martin's "Marshmallow World in the Winter" because that's how Aunt Kimmie rolls.
Christmas means spending the day in your superhero jammies.
And speaking of spending the day in your jammies and listening to Dean Martin, the holiday season also means time with family, arguments over politics, and cookies. And watching Christmas Vacation for the 3,457th time. And cookies. I'm not a huge fan of holiday cookies, unless they happen to be Sheila C. chocolate chip cookies.
She is a co-worker whose chocolate chip cookies are so delish, people will literally show up to the party for the cookies.
“There's cake for Judy's birthday. You going?”
“I don’t know.”
“Sheila C. made cookies.”
(Office chair spinning, co-worker sprawled on the floor with footprints on her back.)
When Sheila makes cookies, you show up to the party, fill your pockets, and bring a knapsack. I don't know what makes them so good. She's not telling. It might be that she actually uses a full bag of chocolate chips. I love my mother, but she was very sparing with her chocolate chips. As in, finding a chocolate chip was like finding the baby Jesus in a king cake.
"Hey, I got one!"
It’s the holidays. People are making peanut butter cookies with hershey’s kisses on them. And you should eat them. No, you shouldn't shove all of them in your mouth at once like a holiday cookie chubby bunny contest. Moderation, people. But you should eat them. And you don’t have to earn them.
Let me repeat that.
You don't have to earn your cookies. You don't have to do ten burpees and 75 jumping jacks before you eat one. You don't have to do walking lunges up and down the hallway after you eat one. You don't have to punish yourself to enjoy a taste of the holidays. Exercise is not a form of punishment. If you want to go for a walk to avoid listening to the family debate over the next Presidential election, go for it. But there's no need to go because you had a couple of Grandma Edna's special pizelles (which are those weird waffle looking cookies).
Listen. It’s the holidays. Workouts are important. Not missing workouts is important. Keeping your sanity is crucial. But don't work out to "earn" your food. Enjoy the food.
Eat the cookie.
Eat it.